Ezekiel speaks of taking a stick and writing on it for Judah, and another for Joseph and all the house of Israel, then joining both sticks together to become one (see Ezekiel 37:15–23). This instruction regarding the holy scriptures probably refers to the institution of tally-sticks, which were used anciently among the Hebrews but forgotten until the nineteenth century. Upon the striking of a contract, official marks were made on a stick of wood, in the presence of a representative of the king. Then, as Hugh Nibley states, “the stick was split down the middle, and each of the parties kept half as his clam-token… . When the time for settlement came and the king’s magistrate placed the two sticks side by side to see that all was in order, the two would only fit together perfectly mark for mark and grain for grain to ‘become one’ in the king’s hand if they had been one originally.” (See Echoes, 472–473.)
When the two “sticks” in Ezekiel’s prophecy are joined together, the effect is to unify the word, or gather together all things pertaining to the covenant of God, as Paul declared: “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him” (Ephesians 1:10). Thus the people are to be gathered, and His word is to be gathered—meaning the Bible and Book of Mormon, together with other holy scriptures constituting the sacred canon. The uniting of the word of God—both from the Jewish people as well as from the remnant of Joseph—would establish the divinity of the gospel of Jesus Christ—two witnesses to confirm the truth of the Atonement and the plan of salvation. Moroni had a clear vision of this very occurrence—the melding together in the latter days of the two scriptural accounts—or sticks—as one. Nephi, too, was afforded a clear view of this process: “And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever” (2 Nephi 29:14).